Tampa-St. Pete existing home sales up 11% in October – Tampa Bay Business Journal

Existing single-family home sales in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater market were up 11 percent in October as sales prices become more manageable for the typical buyer.

The Tampa-St. Pete area closed on 2,021 homes in October compared to 1,814 a year ago, and was below the 15 percent average statewide, according to numbers released Monday by the Florida Association of Realtors. Median sales prices were down 26 percent from $205,600 in October 2007 to $152,300 last month.

via Tampa-St. Pete existing home sales up 11% in October – Tampa Bay Business Journal:

Tampa Tops List Of Metro Areas Where Fla. Singles Relocate | TBO.com

TAMPA – If youre tired of bad real estate news, heres encouragement: Tampa is the top metro area in Florida for singles who relocate, according to an industry survey.

It gets better: The Bay area ranked 11th among the nations 100 largest metro areas.

via Tampa Tops List Of Metro Areas Where Fla. Singles Relocate

The Best Day of the Year to Buy Real Estate | About.com

I would say every day especially in this market, but I guess not. Spread the word!

When is the best time of the year to buy a home? There are at least two days of the year that give buyers the edge. Would you like to guess which two days are best for buying a home?

Every spring, as tulips struggle to poke through melting snow in the North and rosebuds cautiously open in Southern climes, sure as tootin’ real estate signs begin multiplying like bunnies across the country. Soon as the For Sale signs are mounted on the posts, swarms of activity buzz in the streets as sellers, buyers and real estate agents crawl out from wherever they hibernated for the winter to welcome the spring sales season.

There is nothing like a spring real estate market. Offers fly over FAX machines and cell phones ring constantly. Everybody wants a deal, and everybody wants to sell. Typically the marketplace is flooded with inventory. There is more on the market in the spring than any other time of the year.

Read the rest here: Best Time To Buy a Home – When is the Best Time to Buy a Home? – The Best Day of the Year to Buy Real Estate

Tampa sees increase in existing home sales – Tampa Bay Business Journal

Existing home sales in the Tampa Bay area went up in the third quarter compared to a year ago, as home sales statewide experienced an upswing.

Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater had 6,502 existing single-family homes close through the third quarter, up 10 percent from the 5,913 sold in 2007. That was double the state average of 5 percent, although its median value drop of 19 percent to $169,700 was more in line with the drop through the rest of Florida of 20 percent, said the Florida Association of Realtors.

via Tampa sees increase in existing home sales – Tampa Bay Business Journal:

6 Key Facts About the First-Time Buyer Tax Credit

I’ve made my perspective very clear on a previous post about this “tax-credit”, but if you’re up to taking advantage of it, it’s all yours. Here’s a great article I came across thanks to Kimberly D. Mackey, MCSP, CMP, Realtor®.

The $7,500 home ownership tax credit that the federal government created earlier this year as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (H.R. 3221) is another tool at your disposal to encourage potential buyers to jump off the fence and get into the real estate market.

When you combine the tax credit with today’s low interest rates, wide selection of for-sale inventory, and affordable home prices, many of the pieces are in place for your customers to buy now. But tax credits can be confusing. To help your clients understand how the credit works and why it would help them, you must learn the details.

Here are 6 things you should be able to explain to prospects and clients:

via First-time Buyer Tax Credit: REALTOR® Magazine

D.R. Horton’s Tampa Bay division goes viral! | NHD Buzz Press Releases

Tampa, FL – D.R. Horton diversifies its online strategies by joining social media networks and industry-related websites.

Jonathan Torres, marketing and advertising coordinator at D.R. Horton Homes in the Tampa Bay region, said “with reduced marketing budgets and the growth of new media, we have to find new and more cost-effective ways to reach potential buyers. That’s why we’ve made a conscious effort in joining networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and even starting our own local blog. We’re also targeting websites that put us in front of active buyers and their realtors looking for new homes such as Realtor.com, NewHomeGuide.com, NewHomeSource.com, and BuilderInventoryDeals.com.”

via D.R. Hortons Tampa Bay division goes viral! | NHD Buzz Press Releases

Coldwell launches Spanish initiative – Tampa Bay Business Journal

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate plans to begin offering Spanish language resources Oct. 31.

The new program, dubbed Casa Coldwell Banker, will offer homebuying and selling resources in Spanish to the state’s growing Hispanic community, according to a news release. The program also provides Coldwell Banker sales associates with new specialized tools to market to Hispanic buyers, the release said.

via Coldwell launches Spanish initiative – Tampa Bay Business Journal:

Tripp is latest home builder claimed by slump – St. Petersburg Times

This was a great builder run by a great family. Unfortunately, when you play by the rules, the nice guys don’t always win. You never want to see anyone’s business in this position, but there are others out there that SHOULD be and would deserve being there.

After an 8-year run as one of the region’s best-regarded builders, Tripp Trademark Homes is calling it quits.

Company founder Doug Tripp, a former Pulte Homes president who branched out on his own in 2000, said he can no longer afford to sell houses at a loss.

via Tripp is latest home builder claimed by slump – St. Petersburg Times

Tampa’s existing home sales on the rise – Tampa Bay Business Journal:

Existing home sales for Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater climbed to 2,174 last month, up 29 percent from September 2008 while Lakeland was up 27 percent to 284 homes sold in September.

Sarasota didn’t have the same success, but its 7 percent drop to 550 units was the most contained drop of any market in the state.

In fact, only five of the 20 markets tracked by the Florida Association of Realtors showed declines with the statewide average up 24 percent over the previous year.

Values haven’t followed, however. The median home price in Tampa dropped 20 percent from $200,700 last year to $160,500 last month. In Lakeland and Winter Haven, the median home price fell 16 percent to $139,500, while in Sarasota-Bradenton, the median price was down 29 percent but remained just above the $200,000 mark.

Statewide, the median price dropped 22 percent year over year from $224,700 to $175,100.

via Tampa’s existing home sales on the rise – Tampa Bay Business Journal: